Unit 421 is a Pitkin County subunit covering the high country south and west of Aspen—the iconic Maroon Bells, Snowmass Mountain, and the Elk Mountains crest. Elevations climb from about 8,500 feet in the lower Roaring Fork benches near Aspen to over 14,000 feet on Snowmass Mountain (14,099), Maroon Peak (14,164), North Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, and Capitol Peak (all over 14,000). This is some of the most photographed mountain country in North America—the Maroon Bells over Maroon Lake is the signature Colorado postcard, and for good reason. Vegetation is layered: aspen groves on the lower slopes (Aspen the town is named for them), lodgepole pine and Douglas fir on the mid-slopes, dense subalpine spruce-fir on the higher reaches, and alpine tundra above 11,500 feet treeline with talus, scree, and bedrock cirques. Elk and mule deer hold the timbered benches and high meadows; bighorn sheep and mountain goat hold the high crags; black bear is excellent in the oakbrush and berry country. White River National Forest covers the country, with the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness occupying the high core (motorized prohibited—the wilderness here is famous and protected). CO-82 runs from Glenwood Springs through Basalt to Aspen and over Independence Pass (closes seasonally with first significant snow); Maroon Creek Road (CO-13) climbs to Maroon Lake (heavily restricted in summer and fall to shuttle bus during peak hours). Aspen is full resort-priced services. Cell service is good in the valley and gone in the wilderness. Hunting in the Bells country requires real wilderness skills, fitness, and self-rescue capability—the country is gorgeous and unforgiving. Pack-outs are punishing.